On September 22, the Innovation and Practice Center of the International Elite Engineering School at East China University of Science and Technology held a Laboratory Open Day on the Xuhui Campus, with enthusiastic participation from the Class of 2026 undergraduate freshmen. The event featured laboratory introductions and lab tours, providing students with a valuable platform to learn about research areas and engage in face-to-face exchanges with faculty and students.

The event opened with systematic introductions to the research projects underway in the laboratories, delivered by Associate Researcher Jiang Yue from the Engineering Practice Laboratory of the Innovation and Practice Center, followed by Associate Professor Yan Ying from the Environmental Electrochemistry Laboratory. Jia Daqing from the CTI Accreditation and Training Office then conducted a laboratory safety training session for everyone. Afterwards, faculty and students gathered for a group photo.

During the laboratory tour, students split into groups and visited different labs, where they observed experimental materials and procedures up close: watching how a modified sponge, by virtue of its material properties, adsorbs and recovers algae; learning about the preparation of graphene oxide and its material characteristics; exploring the principles behind heritage conservation and atomic force microscopy; and examining the production of hydrogen peroxide through an electrochemical reduction reaction based on solid-state electrolytes. From water pollution control to the preservation of traditional cultural artifacts, experimental terms that had once seemed unfamiliar gradually became concrete and vivid. Students asked questions throughout the tour, moving from experimental phenomena to technological applications, and gained a far more tangible and deeper understanding of how chemistry solves real-world problems.

Using the laboratory as a window, this Open Day brought research into close contact with the new students. By walking into the labs and observing experiments firsthand, students were able to move from the classroom into practice, experiencing the unique appeal of chemical research in authentic experimental settings and sensing the boundless possibilities of scientific exploration. In the future, the International Elite Engineering School will continue to build on its Innovation and Practice Center, diversifying the forms of faculty-student exchange and hands-on experience, so as to provide students with broader platforms for following research developments, engaging with academic frontiers, and exploring directions for their professional development.